Mount Everest sets new climbing record in single day

Hundreds of climbers successfully ascended Mount Everest in a single day, setting a new record with 274 ascents.

According to a Nepali hiking official, a record 274 climbers reached the top of Mount Everest from the mountain’s south side in a single day.

The previous record of 233 climbers, which was reached on May 22, 2019, was surpassed on Wednesday.

The Expedition Operators Association of Nepal’s secretary general, Rishi Bhandari, verified the number, attributing it to favourable weather and the high number of climbers waiting to reach the 29,029-foot peak.

With the help of Sherpa guides and additional bottled oxygen, all of the climbers except one made it to the summit. 

Marcelo Segovia, an Ecuadorian climber, reached the top on his own without oxygen.

“This is the highest ​number of climbers in a single day so far,” Bhandari stated.

According to Bhandari, the number may still increase because some climbers who have reached the summit may not have notified the base camp yet.

“We wait for climbers to return, give us photographs and other evidence to prove their ascents and provide them with climbing certificates,” said Department of Tourism official Himal Gautam.

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The hike to the summit

Due to the danger posed by a massive serac hanging over the main path to the summit, this year’s Everest climbing season started later than usual.

Climbers may ascend the summit either through the northern face in the Chinese part of Tibet or the southern side in Nepal. 

However, this year, the road has been closed by Chinese authorities.

By the end of this month, when the peak’s climbing season concludes, some 494 climbers and an equal number of their Sherpa guides are anticipated to try to reach the summit.

Veteran mountain guide Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record earlier this week when he reached the summit for the 32nd time.

Pasang Dawa Sherpa, his nearest rival, reached the summit for the 30th time this week.

Meanwhile, Lakpa Sherpa broke her own record for the most climbs by a female climber when she reached the summit of Everest for the 11th time.

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